Digitally Disillusioned

I’m weary from all this festivaling, and really talking about it does nobody any good if you don’t get it done during the festival, so here is a wrap up.

Cyranose

We delighted in Cleopatrick, last years show from Sound and Fury. They take vaguely historical stuff and spin ribald comedy dashed with a touch of improv and filled with a lot of fun. A bit was lost this year, though, mostly in that I saw a 3:00 matinee rather than a midnight-last-day-of-the-fringe closeout. The quality of the work was at least the same, but the impact of not having a hundred semi-drunk people was palpable.

And then, Cyrano de Bergerac is material much less ripe for satire than the story of Cleopatra. Last year was recurring asp jokes, this year its about pervasive silent N’s en francais. Also, the removal of Phil van Hest from the company is noticeable. It’s still a very funny show and despite also having a crappier venue this year, it’s a remarkable comedic tour de force that anybody who likes to laugh should not miss. 4/5

Kafka and Son

A strong dramatic one man show that is framed around a letter Franz Kafka wrote but never in his life delivered to his father. It describes in detail his life long intimidation at the hands of his father, an act he holds his father blameless for. It is intimate, evocative, and deeply disturbing to follow the rabbit hole down.

One man dramas can be intimidating or snooze inducing affairs. This is neither. We are invited - no, seduced - in to the intimate writings of someone world famous and long dead, and with masterful attention to choreography, lighting, and the simple use and abuse of a handful of props we are blown away by the raw emotion. This was without a doubt one of the best plays I’ve ever seen, let alone seen at the fringe. 5/5

Poptart

A late addition to my schedule was Poptart, an amusing comedy on social themes relating to consumption and mass media. It spins an entertaining tale of two sisters separated not only by adoption, but by fundamental differences in world view. They learn to understand one another as we learn to understand that while the play is built on lofty aspirations, it wraps up uncleanly, basically resting its entire geopolitical motivations on a simple fat joke to carry the play home. It was really good, but it could have been better, at least in regards to the script. The acting was aces, and made it a great way to spend an evening. 4/5